Lemon and yogurt cake

Since the weather has been so nice recently we've been eating some lighter meals such as quiche. In the quiche I make you use natural yogurt and I tend to buy a big pot of it. After we've had the quiche comes problem with what to do with the rest of yogurt. It has recently been Zero Waste Week in the UK and I've read many blog posts with peoples' endeavours on reducing waste in general around the house. According to Love Food Hate Waste we throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink each year in the UK. With this in mind I had a root around in my fridge and found a sad looking lemon that needed a proper purpose in life. Yogurt and lemon? It has the makings of a cake in just two ingredients. On the way home we picked some blackberries to put on the top. Along with autumnal raspberries they are a great seasonal fruit which are good for you and your brain as well.

One of the main points of Zero Waste Week is the need to reduce consumption in general. It's certainly something that has become fashionable in cooking as well. Much has been written recently about how to cut down on sugar in your diet. Since I do like my cake I've decided to lower the sugar content in this cake. It also has a reduced amount of the fat in it as well. To achieve the lightness I've separated the eggs and then whisked up the egg whites before folding in.

Equipment: 8in (20cm) round tin greased and lined, 2 large bowls, sieve, electric whisk/beaters, wire rack

Ingredients

3 eggs, separated

6oz (170g) Plain flour

2 tsp (10ml) Bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp (2.5ml) Salt

2oz (55g) Unsalted butter, soften or baking spread

1oz (28g) Caster sugar

¼ pint (150ml) Natural yogurt

1 Lemon, zested

Glaze

2oz (55g) Icing sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Blackberries to decorate

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/Gas mark 3.

2. Separate the eggs and whisk the egg whites until they are stiff.

3. In a large bowl sift together the flour, bicarb and salt. Add the butter, sugar and egg yolks and whisk together until it resembles bread crumbs.

4. Add the yogurt and lemon zest and whisk again until it is all combined.

5. Fold the egg whites gently into the mixture until it is all combined.

6. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

7. Transfer the cake onto a wire rack to cool.

8. When completely cool make the glaze.

9. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and squeeze the juice of the lemon into it. Stir together and when smooth pour over the cake.

10. Place the blackberries on the cake.